Blue Spots
The blue spots.
The blue spots on the back of the neck were the monsters raised by the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor was, in every sense, a mad great demon.
He would kidnap orphans, throw them into poisonous creatures, and subject the survivors to the grand technique he had developed, turning them into perfect monsters.
Those were the true identities of the Cheongsu-in—the Blue Lifespans—who bore the blue spots.
They were the tragic result of the most vicious human experimentation imaginable, and they obeyed only the commands of the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
Infused with a special grand technique and the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s terrifying poison arts, the Cheongsu-in possessed incredibly tough bodies. Their durability was so extreme that ordinary blades could not even pierce them.
“Muyoung.”
I pushed my speed even higher.
If Muyoung had encountered a Cheongsu-in… it was a guaranteed defeat.
The demonic arts they wielded were something his current realm could never withstand.
Please, stay alive.
Kwoong!
Heavy inner energy surged out like a vast ocean, and my body shot forward like an arrow.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the tip of the sword.
Muyoung swiftly withdrew the blade he had thrust out.
His body… is incredibly hard.
That strike had carried the power of a five-star expert.
Yet the man before him had taken it with his bare body as if it were nothing.
He no longer needed to worry about defense and could focus solely on offense.
The martial arts of an opponent freed from the constraint of defense were truly awe-inspiring.
Clang! Clang! Claaang!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls of the inn. The floor shattered. Muyoung’s body was relentlessly driven backward.
His sword trembled and screamed with fury, but it was nothing more than a futile struggle.
He’s strong. Insanely strong!
Muyoung bit his lip until it bled.
His entire body was already in tatters.
His sword could not wound the enemy.
Already suffering from severe internal injuries and external wounds, even moving freely had become difficult.
“You’re… far too weak.”
Worse still, the opponent was toying with him, mocking him as if it were all a game.
The gap in their martial prowess was so overwhelming it felt like the difference between heaven and earth.
“Is this the best you can show me? For a warrior tasked with guarding the direct bloodline of the Ju family, you’re pathetically weak.”
The man grinned and took a single step forward.
Claaang!
The ground shattered beneath his foot as his figure split into dozens of afterimages.
In an instant, he closed the distance, his hand shooting toward Muyoung’s jaw.
Clang!
Muyoung desperately twisted his sword and barely managed to block the strike.
But the shockwave snapped his blade cleanly in half.
“It’s over.”
The opponent slowly approached, clenching and unclenching his fist.
Watching him, Muyoung fell into confusion.
What is this absurd aura?
The man’s energy was wrong.
It was not something a normal human could emit.
It was majestic, heavy, and carried an overwhelming dominance that crushed everything around it, along with a ferocious, bloodthirsty intent.
It was the aura of an absolute ruler looking down upon the world.
Overwhelmed by that presence, Muyoung could not unleash his full martial arts.
It’s as if my own energy… is cowering in fear.
The description was strange, but it meant he could not draw out his true power.
Muyoung looked down at his broken sword.
How hollow.
Was he really going to die like this?
He, a proud shadow warrior of the Ju family?
A member of the Seungryongdae?
“Your legs must be shaking by now.”
The opponent spoke.
He was already within arm’s reach.
“You’ve realized how powerless you are, that you can never reach me. That is the difference between us.”
He reached out.
All he had to do was grab Muyoung’s neck, twist it, and it would be over.
“Because of you, our plans will be delayed for a while, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We still cannot challenge the Ju family’s power.”
“……”
“Farewell, you hot-blooded warrior of the Ju family.”
Just as the man’s hand was about to close around Muyoung’s throat—
He flinched.
Suddenly, the opponent stopped.
Then he slowly turned his gaze in one direction.
“Hah.”
He had sensed it.
Another presence.
And its aura was faint.
“The little brat from the Ju family has walked straight into the tiger’s den. And alone, at that.”
He laughed openly.
“Was he worth all this trouble?”
“……!”
At those words, Muyoung’s eyes snapped wide open.
There was no need to ask who the “little brat from the Ju family” was.
Young Master.
The one he was sworn to protect—Ju Woo-jin.
He had come here.
Why?
Why on earth?
He could have simply gathered the warriors from the Yu family or asked the main house for help.
Yet he had come in person… for a mere warrior like himself?
Why?
“This is ridiculous.”
The opponent sneered openly as he read Muyoung’s expression.
It was clear he knew exactly what Muyoung was thinking.
“Watch closely. I’ll tear that little Ju brat apart right in front of you.”
Kwaaang!
With those words, the man smashed straight through the wall and charged out.
In the distance, Ju Woo-jin was racing toward them.
Muyoung gripped his broken sword.
“Ugh…”
Clenching his teeth, he forced strength into his shattered leg and took a step forward.
I must protect him.
Because of me.
My superior has come here because of me.
I have to keep him alive.
My own foolishness and empty pride have led him to the brink of death.
I must take responsibility and protect him.
“As long as I’m still breathing… you will not touch him!”
Kwaaang!
Muyoung’s body shot forward like lightning.
The surrounding enemies couldn’t even track his movement.
In a single breath, he closed the distance and seized the opponent’s rear.
“How annoying.”
The man smirked and casually thrust out his hand.
Thud!
His fist slammed into Muyoung’s face.
The punch carried the weight of ten thousand pounds.
Muyoung’s nose shattered. Blood sprayed.
“Aaaargh!”
The pain must have been excruciating, yet Muyoung did not stop.
Crack!
In that instant, he grabbed the man’s arm with one hand and drove the broken sword into his forearm with the other.
“……Hah.”
The opponent tilted his head in disbelief.
The sword that had never been able to touch him was now buried deep in his forearm.
“What a touching bond. The lord throws himself into death for his subordinate, and the subordinate throws away his life to protect his lord.”
Shuk!
He yanked the broken sword from his arm and hurled it away.
Then he grabbed Muyoung by the throat and lifted him high into the air.
It was overwhelming brute strength.
“Rest easy.”
The man slammed Muyoung straight into the ground.
It was a fatal blow that could have killed him instantly.
“……!”
The moment he threw Muyoung down, the man’s entire body suddenly froze solid.
Booom!
The next instant, his body was blasted backward.
But what shocked him even more was the voice that followed.
“Cheongsu-in.”
The spine-chilling aura that gripped his entire body.
The overwhelming dominance that forced him to his knees!
Th-this is impossible.
The man—the Cheongsu-in—was thrown into panic.
No, he was horrified.
C-Cult Leader…?
The demonic energy was so overwhelming it instinctively reminded him of that person.
“Wind Thunder Inn.”
Just as the spy from the Yu family had said, I ran roughly fifty li.
His information had been accurate.
Upon finding the Wind Thunder Inn, I immediately understood the situation.
“Damn it. I’m one step too late.”
The inn’s walls were collapsed. The entire area was a scene of utter chaos.
And the thick, murderous aura rippling from beyond the inn…
It’s a Cheongsu-in.
It was the unique energy signature of the monsters created by the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
If Muyoung had not yet encountered the Cheongsu-in, I could have quietly extracted him and left.
But Muyoung had ignored my orders after all.
He had been completely caught by the enemy.
What now?
Facing a Cheongsu-in head-on right now would be no different from choosing suicide.
Defeating a Cheongsu-in at my current level? Absurd.
Should I retreat and call for reinforcements from the warriors?
But if I did that?
That bastard will just erase all traces.
The sly face of the Blood Hand Poison Emperor flashed through my mind.
If I turned back now, I wouldn’t be able to save Muyoung.
I wouldn’t be able to catch the Blood Hand Poison Emperor either.
I would gain nothing.
I have no choice.
Yes. For now, I would reveal my presence.
I needed to let the Blood Hand Poison Emperor know I was here and secure a good bargaining chip for negotiation.
With that decision, I approached the Wind Thunder Inn.
At that moment, the wall of the inn exploded as something charged straight at me.
A Cheongsu-in!
I instantly identified the attacker.
To block his ambush, I crossed both arms.
But in that instant, another presence erupted.
“Muyoung?”
Muyoung.
In a wretched state, he closed the distance and wrapped himself around the Cheongsu-in.
Covered in blood, with broken legs and arms.
And… a broken sword.
The Cheongsu-in sneered at both Muyoung and me.
Muyoung stared at me.
His eyes were screaming.
Run, Young Master.
Just like that day in my previous life.
The image of him, covered in blood, clutching his severed arm, barely holding a sword, yet charging toward the demonic cultivators to protect me.
“……Muyoung.”
The scenes overlapped.
You’re still willing to throw your life away to protect me.
He had grabbed the enemy, driven the broken sword into the Cheongsu-in’s forearm with everything he had.
Ha, damn it.
Yes. This was my mistake.
I should have kept tighter control over my own guard.
Clatter!
The broken sword the Cheongsu-in had yanked out and thrown landed at my feet.
It’s just like back then.
The day I died.
And the day I began again.
The image of me, a weakling with a broken sword, standing against the Heavenly Demon, overlapped with Muyoung’s current form.
Kwaaang!
Muyoung was hurled away.
In that moment, something inside my chest exploded.
It was as if oil had been poured onto a flickering flame. A savage roar surged up.
Booom!
I closed the distance.
In the blink of an eye, serving only the present moment.
The gentle breeze that had been blowing transformed into a violent gale that threatened to devour everything.
Swift Wind Chain Moon!
A fierce wind that even wrapped around the moon.
The Ju family’s supreme stealth movement technique erupted.
I caught Muyoung’s flying body, gently redirected the force, and set him down softly on the ground.
His shocked expression filled my eyes.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“……!”
With those words, I struck Muyoung’s pressure points.
His eyes closed. I slowly rose to my feet.
I casually flicked a palm strike at the Cheongsu-in, sending him flying.
The Cheongsu-in stared at me with a face full of shock.
“Y-you… who are you? H-how do you know my name… and this aura… what the hell is it?!”
“……It’s not just your name, is it? You are ‘them.’ How many of you were there again?”
I slowly loosened my stiffened body.
My dantian trembled. The power of ten thousand pounds surged like a vast ocean.
An uncontrollable force thirsted for slaughter.
Demonic energy.
It was wild. Ferocious.
There was no one watching here. So I would answer its call.
When I released the seal on the Dragon Heaven True Qi, the unleashed demonic energy instantly swallowed the entire area.
The surroundings vibrated violently.
The powerful demonic aura tightly bound the Cheongsu-in’s entire body.
“Not bad. So this is demonic energy.”
A smile crept across my lips.
Before the overwhelming power, the Cheongsu-in staggered backward in terror.
Srrrng!
I picked up Muyoung’s broken sword.
“Just what the hell are you…?”
“My identity?”
Bang!
I stepped on the wind once more.
Riding the raging storm, I closed the gap between us.
For a brief moment, my reflection appeared in his pupils—eyes glowing with crimson light.
“Call me what you always have.”
“……”
“The Ju family’s worm. The Ju family’s good-for-nothing. The Ju family’s… trash.”
Crunch!
Blood sprayed.
The broken sword pierced through the Cheongsu-in’s tough skin and reached his heart.
“In my previous life… and in this one, I am the greatest enemy who knows you bastards better than anyone.”
Crack!
The Cheongsu-in’s breathing stopped.
I crushed his heart and severed his life.
As I stole away his final breath, I whispered softly.
“The worthless brat of the Ju family, Ju Woo-jin. That is who I am.”